Can you hold the joy?

“What?”

“Can you hold the joy?”

Most of us have gotten a little too good at being with the hard things. We’ve grown accustomed to having the weight of the world on our shoulders, and we’re just so damn good at enduring.

. ..but how comfortable are we with joy?

Is that not our natural state?

I’m curious about what comes up for people around the topic of feeling good, as I’ve noticed human nature is to resist the unfamiliar, or anything that contradicts our deeply held beliefs (often subconscious).

Our society teaches us to run ourselves into the ground, then wear our busyness and exhaustion like a badge of honor, valiantly bearing all the burdens of life- both ours and those of our loved ones.

We are rewarded for our ability to thrive in chaos, and sometimes may even feel a tinge of pride at the martyrdom of it all.

While its certainly commendable to be able to rise to the occassion and meet the demands of our hectic and ever-changing world, its a little concerning that we seem to have a limited bandwidth for the lighthearted and transcendent emotions such as joy, awe, and gratitude.

If I had to guess, when these sensations arise, discomfort ensues. I mean, how awkward is it to take even a 6 minute break from “survival mode?”

Guilt may actually surface because we feel undeserving of positive feelings- or intense restlessness and anxiety because it’s so foreign to our nervous systems.

Sometimes it actually feels unsafe to be calm or to feel good. The vulnerability of knowing it could be taken away is overwhelming. ..perhaps more than we’re willing to risk.

If we’re not able to increase our capacity for positive emotions, we may spend our whole lives simultaneously chasing something and sabotaging it.

This question is merely an invitation into a gentle self-inquiry, and this is a judgement-free zone 😉

I’d love to hear your thoughts around staying present with positive emotions, as well as some ways you’re navigating any barriers to cultivating more peace in your life.

We can do this ❤🙏

Photo: Asheville, NC April 2021